Union plans which would have thrown a lifeline to some of the 200 workers at a doomed Birmingham factory have been rejected by its US bosses.

A total of 220 employees are set to lose their jobs when production at the Tucker Fasteners site in Great Barr switches to Germany.

Unite union officials drew up counter-proposals to move the factory to a new purpose-built site – and won key backing from Birmingham City Council and local MP Khalid Mahmood.

But they were rejected by officials from Stanley, Black and Decker, which is pressing on with plans to close the factory, which makes rivets for a range of customers, by next March.

Unite regional official John Walsh said: “The counter proposals were fully costed and include moving from that site to a new purpose-built site in the city. The current site is to big and too antiquated.

“We have had a meeting with city council officials and they have started working on a bid under the Regional Growth Fund and have also said that we meet the criteria through the European Social Fund.

“We have had video conferences with the company in America and Germany. We cannot keep all the jobs but we believe we could save around 70.

“We had an all-day session with them this week but they have said the counter-proposals do not meet their long-term strategy.

“We are taking away the document to look at it again but as a trade union, we are bitterly disappointed.

“The average service on that site is 21 years which is real testimony to the workforce.

“There will be a further meeting in a couple of weeks time – the workforce are waiting with bated breath.”

In a statement to the union’s joint negotiating committee, the US parent group said: “As presented, the counter-proposal does not meet the long-term strategy and financial needs of the corporation.”